1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of processing a reprint order from a customer based on reprint order information, using a plurality of film pieces cut from a film to contain predetermined numbers of frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
At a camera shop, when a shop attendant receives a customer's order for reprint, he/she keeps a foldable film piece holder storing a plurality of film pieces and writes in an order slip the serial number(s) of frame(s) to be reprinted and also the total number of reprints (copies) to be produced therefrom. Thereafter, an operator of a photographic printer checks the order slip and selects and takes out , from the film piece holder, a film piece(s) which contains the specified frame(s) and then sets the piece to the printer for obtaining reprint(s) of the image of the frame.
The convention has proposed some measures for automating the above manual reprint order procedures. For instance, according to Japanese published patent gazette Sho. 59-92, in an unfolded state of the foldable film piece holder holding a plurality of film pieces according to a predetermined order, a serial frame number of a frame located at the right end of the first uppermost film piece is recorded, so that the film pieces to which the other frames belong and their positions in these respective pieces may be specified with reference to the recorded serial frame number of the right-end frame in the first piece. This art is based on the assumption that the other film pieces than the first one all contain a same predetermined number of frames. As a matter of fact, when the film pieces are obtained by cutting of a film, the lengths of the last two pieces are adjusted so as to allow the last piece to contain at least two frames. This is because a film piece containing only one frame will be too short to be processed properly by the printer. As a result, it sometimes happens that the last two film pieces have fewer frames than the predetermined number. In such case, the above-described method cannot achieve its object of specifying the position of frame(s).
Japanese published patent gazette Sho. 59-34291 attended to the above problem and proposed a different method. In this method, in addition to the serial frame number of the right-end frame in the uppermost film piece, the respective total numbers of the frames contained in the last two film pieces are also recorded. With this, even when the last two film pieces have fewer frames than the predetermined number of frames, the other film pieces containing the other frames and the positions of these frames within the respective pieces may be specified.
According to either of the above-described conventional methods, in order to specify the film piece containing the target frame designated in the order slip and the position of the frame within the particular film piece, an operator must visually check the serial frame number of the frame in the specified film piece. However, such visual checking is very difficult, especially when the film piece is held within a semi-transparent film pocket of the film holder. Then, for checking the number, the operator must takes the trouble of drawing the film piece out of the holder, but even then the visual checking of the frame number is still difficult as this number is printed too small.